Tamers Survival
by SpaceRobt
Summary: Immediately after the defeat of the D-Reaper, the digimon are trapped in a ruined, hostile world. If they ever want to see their partners again, they're going to have to survive. This is a prequel to Tamers Forever. It loosely connects the TV series and Message in the Packet, and takes place before Runaway Digimon Express. CW: some blood, graphic violence, language.
1. Day 1

"Ready Culumon?" Said Guilmon. "This is the last one, then you can rest for a while."

"You can do it, Culumon." Said Terriermon.

Culumon nodded. They stood before Kokomon, and squeezed their eyes shut in concentration.

"Culuuuuuuu!"

The emblem on their forehead began to glow, and Cocomon's body was basked in the light of evolution. A moment later, Lopmon appeared, now returned to their child-level form.

Culumon fell backwards, exhausted, and landed on their rear.

"Last one, culu." They sighed.

All of the digimon were now back to child level, except for MarineAngemon, who had managed to resist the draining effects of Shaggai, and maintained their ultimate form.

Between Shaggai and being trapped in the kernel sphere with Juri, Culumon's energy was all but gone. It had taken them all day just to evolve everyone this much. The energy requirements for further evolutions went up exponentially, so it would be a long time before anyone would have the chance to reach adult level.

"Well, at least we're all back to normal now." Said Terriermon. He glanced at Kokuwamon and Monodramon, the child forms of Guardromon and Cyberdramon. "I mean, mostly."

A long silence hung in the air.

The digimon were back in the wasteland of the digital world, or what remained of it. The horizon, which had once stretched out endlessly, was now cut short. Its ragged, cookie-cutter edge served as a monument of the D-Reaper's calamitous attack.

While the damage to the real world was undone when the D-reaper was reduced to its primitive state, the time-reversal of Operation Doodlebug did not extend to the digital world.

There was barely anything left.

What scraps of land remained had been fought for tooth and nail by by desparate digimon of all power levels.

"I can't believe Jian and Shaochung are gone." Said Terriermon. "I never thought I would be back here again. It's just sinking in that we might not be able to go home for a while." He sighed. "So what now?"

No one said anything for a long moment.

"Find shelter." Said Renamon. "Then food. Avoid getting killed."

"That's it?" Said Impmon. "What about getting back to the real world? We should be looking for a way outta here."

"Renamon's right." Said Guilmon. "We can wait here for our tamers to find us. We just have to survive until then."

"I feel weird saying this," said Terriermon, "but I kind of agree with Impmon. It would be dangerous for everyone to come back to the digital world. Before, they had us to protect them. Do you really think the adults would let them go back alone? We should try to find our own way home."

"Our tamers protected us too." Said Renamon.

"Yeah, it could be dangerous wandering around." Said Guilmon. "What if we ran into a digimon who we couldn't beat? Takato's not here to help me evolve. We can't go looking for trouble."

"I don't care if it's dangerous." Said Monodramon. "I'll fight anyone I have to. I got strong enough to evolve on my own before, and I can do it again."

"That would be unwise." Said Lopmon. "The light of Culumon's Shining Evolution reached all corners of the digital world. Digimon on the whole will be stronger than before the D-Reaper attacked. And after that apocalyptic battle, only the truly strong will be left alive. I fear that any threat we encounter may spell our end."

"Not all digimon want to fight us, though." Said Guilmon. "Maybe we can team up with some really strong guys, who can keep us safe. We all fought the D-Reaper too, after all. If they know that we defeated it in the real world, I'm sure they'll be really nice to us."

"I think not." Said Lopmon. "Look around us. This world is in ruins. Digimon will be more desperate than ever to travel to the real world. I think I need not remind anyone of the legend that says loading the data of a digimon with a human partner will make such a journey possible. If anyone were to know of our true identities, we would need to adopt constant vigilance, lest we be stabbed in the back.

"For the time being, we must do all we can to conceal the fact that we have been to the real world at all, much less that we are partnered to humans."

Guilmon's face fell. "That's so harsh. Is there really no one who would help us?" He said.

"The four gods may." Said Lopmon. "But even I do not know a reliable way of reaching their realm, especially now that so much of this world has been destroyed."

Renamon stood. "I'm finding shelter." They started to walk away.

"Let's go." Said Guilmon. "Renamon's right. A data stream could come at any time. We don't want to get separated." He turned to Culumon.

"How are you doing?"

"So tired, culu."

"It's okay, just a little longer, then you can rest."

Guilmon scooped up the tiny digimon in his arms, and set off after Renamon. Everyone else followed.

As they walked, Terriermon turned to Lopmon.

"You really think digimon would try to load us if they knew about Jian and Shaochung?"

"Indeed." Said Lopmon.

"That's an awfully pessimistic way of thinking."

"Perhaps." Said Lopmon. "But I was born a soldier, even if I was never well suited to the role. It is in my nature to expect conflict, and prepare for the worst. I only hope that this will aid us in our survival."

"You're not like that when you're with Shaochung." Said Terriermon.

"No, I am not."

The two were silent for a moment.

"I hope we see them again soon." Said Terriermon.

"It is my hope as well."


	2. Day 6

Guilmon's stomach growled.

"How long can we go without food in this world, anyway?" He said. "It seems to work different than in the real world."

"True." Said Renamon. "Here, it is less a matter of time, and more a matter of energy expenditure."

The group of digimon had spent the last few days holed up in a small niche in one of the cliff faces in the desert. It wasn't much, but it protected them from data streams, and it was unlikely that any hostile digimon would spot them from the ground.

"I wanna eat." Said Guilmon, a pitiful whine in his voice. "Hasn't anyone found food yet?"

"'Fraid not." Said Terriermon. "We've been out scouting, but there's not much fine cuisine in the wasteland."

"Then why isn't everyone who lives here hungry all the time?" Said Guilmon.

"Well, some digimon are able to make food out of dust packets, although it's a pretty long and involved process." Said Terriermon. "The other option is…"

"What?" Said Guilmon.

"...Loading other digimon." Said Renamon. "Even a weak digimon can provide enough energy to last several days. It is a common practice in worlds where food does not grow naturally. If we come across someone weaker than us, we should take that opportunity."

"Are you kidding me?" Said Impmon. "I'm not doing that. No chance in hell."

Renamon glared at him. "This is an inconvenient time to suddenly grow a conscience. Do you want to starve?"

"I'm not loading anyone." Impmon repeated. "How could I ever look Ai and Mako in the eyes again if I did that? How could I ever face Juri? I don't care if I have to starve. I'm not going back to the way I was." He looked around at everyone. "Right, guys? We can't survive by hurting people. There has to be a better way."

Renamon pointed to Culumon, who was asleep in the back of the cave.

"What about them? They haven't moved in days. They spent too much energy evolving us. If they die, we won't be able to evolve further, and if we don't evolve, we won't be able to defend ourselves. Are you so stubborn that you would get us all killed?"

"What about your human?" Said Impmon. "Ruki wouldn't want you to start loading digimon again."

Renamon's expression turned to ice.

"Ruki's not here."

Impmon flinched.

"I can't believe what I'm hearing." He said. "No one actually agrees with this psycho fox, right?"

No one spoke.

"Seriously," said impmon, "you know it's bad when _I_ become the voice of reason. Why don't you cool it with this whole 'loading' thing?"

"Don't tell me what to do."

"Renamon," said Guilmon, his voice timid, "you're acting all scary."

Renamon stood, and walked towards the entrance of the cave.

"Where are you going?" Said Guilmon.

"Leaving." Said Renamon. "I don't need all of you holding me back. I'll be better off alone."

"Renamon, please wait!" Said Guilmon. "Don't leave. We can't fall apart right now. We need each other."

"I don't need anyone."

"What about Ruki?" Said Guilmon. "If she comes looking for us, and you're not here, she'll never forgive you."

"I'm not waiting around for that to happen." Said Renamon. "I'll make my own way." They started towards the entrance again.

" _Renamon!_ "

Renamon glanced back. Guilmon's pupils had contracted to dots. His teeth were bared. Renamon's fur stood on end. If this was going to turn into a fight, it could be troublesome for them. They had only traded a few attacks back and forth in their brief scuffles when they had first encountered each other, but that was enough for Renamon to know that Guilmon was a dangerous opponent. Their attacks had little effect on Guilmon's scaly hide, and his fireballs had considerable destructive power. Takato had created him to be the most powerful child-level, after all. Without Ruki's aid, Renamon chances against him were not good.

Guilmon's aggressive bearing vanished in an instant, however, and his eyes became soft and pleading.

"Don't leave. You're our friend. We don't have our tamers, but we have each other. That's all we have. We can make it through this if we stick together. I know we're all scared, but we can't afford to lose hope. We can't give up on each other, and we can't give up on our partners. So please, think about what you're doing."

Renamon paused, then took a step backwards. The edges of their form became blurry, and they disappeared into the desert landscape.


	3. Day 10

"Culumon's not looking so good." Said Terriermon. He was sitting beside his unconscious friend, looking them over with concern. "Guilmon, we need to go to a higher world. We need food."

What few scraps of edible data the digimon had scrounged up over the past few days had been offered to Culumon, but it was apparently not enough to restore them in any appreciable way.

"I must advise against it." Said Lopmon. "Digimon in the higher layers tend to be more powerful. If we make that journey, not all of us may come back."

"One more day." Said Guilmon. His eyes were glassy with exhaustion, but resolve kept his voice and posture steady. "We'll keep scouting until the end of today. If that doesn't work, then we'll go."

"The digimon we've seen here in the wasteland have been pretty scary." Said Kokuwamon. "Things are only gonna get worse if we leave."

"Well it's not like we're going to find anything in this dump." Said Impmon.

"Pu phwa pi." Said MarineAngemon.

"We've got no choice." Said Guilmon. "I want to wait here for Takato, but if we stay any longer…"

He looked around at everyone.

"C'mon, let's do our best today. If we work hard, then maybe we'll find a few snacks for the road."

Impmon opened his mouth to complain, then closed it again. "Yeah, alright." He said reluctantly.

"Should we split up?" Said Terriermon. "I mean, I know it's more dangerous, but we'd have a better chance of finding something.

Guilmon nodded. "I think we'll be okay. I really want to find some good food today, so let's make two teams."

Terriermon and Lopmon immediately joined Guilmon, and Impmon took a moment to weigh his options, then followed them. That left Monodramon, Kokuwamon, MarineAngemon, and Culumon. MarineAngemon blew an ocean love bubble to carry the sleeping entelechies.

They searched fruitlessly all day. Guilmon and the rest dragged themselves back towards the cliff face as night swept across the wasteland. Suddenly, the four companions stopped in their tracks. Guilmon's body went tense, and his pupils narrowed to pinpoints.

"Ah, shit." Said Impmon. "Not now."

He produced a flame at his fingertip, illuminating the area around them, and scanned the stone outcropping that his senses pointed him towards. A blur of red burst out from behind the rocks, too quick for the eye to follow. It zigzagged across the dusty ground, and in an instant, had closed the distance between itself and the scouting party. Everyone dove out of the way, except for Guilmon, who held his ground, and braced himself for the impact.

The blur slammed into him, knocking him back, despite his rock-solid stance. When the dust cleared, everyone could clearly see the creature that had attacked them.

It was Fangmon, a red-furred, wolf-like digimon, with a grotesquely lanky figure, and an oversized maw crammed with sharp, jagged teeth.

Those teeth were clamped around Guilmon's shoulder. Guilmon's face was screwed up with pain, but he remained standing, despite his opponent's superior size.

Terriermon was the first to act, rushing forward, and throwing himself towards Fangmon, headbutting with everything he could muster.

Fangmon spun on the spot, and whipped Guilmon's body along with them, using him like a weapon to knock Terriermon out of the air. Fangmon then swung their captive prey back in the opposite direction, trying to break bones and tear flesh with the jarring momentum alone.

They continued to shake their head as Guilmon clawed at their muzzle, ignorant to his own pain.

Impmon produced more tiny flames with both hands, and flung them at the attacker, as Lopmon inhaled, preparing for a blazing ice attack. Fangmon threw Guilmon aside, and dodged the incoming assault. Then, they turned towards Terriermon, who was shakily rising to his feet.

Terriermon tried to spin up a petit twister, but Fangmon was on him before he could gain the momentum. Fangmon slammed Terriermon from above with a large paw, and pinned him against the ground. They opened that terrifying mouth, and prepared to bite down. Terriermon, struggling to move, imagined for a brief flash what his body would look like when those jaws closed. His eyes squeezed shut.

" _Fireball!_ "

Guilmon had crawled to his knees, and was supporting himself with his right arm. The left was dangling broken at his side, and his left flank was caked with blood and dirt.

The fireball grazed Fangmon's head, singing their fur and burning the tip of an ear. Fangmon turned their head back towards Guilmon, re-evaluating the threat level of their mangled foe. They slammed their paw into Terriermon again, knocking the wind out of him, and rushed at Guilmon. Their advance was halted by another volley from Impmon and Lopmon.

The two fell into a rhythm, launching one attack after another. Fangmon was fast, moving so quickly that they seemed almost to be in two places at once. Guilmon, capitalizing on the distraction, forced his body to stand. He moved towards Lopmon and Impmon, his footsteps dragging in a weak hobble. And then, Fangmon was in front of the two.

Guilmon couldn't reach them in time. He tried to inhale, to bring another fireball up in his throat, but his ribs protested, and he ended up doubling over in a fit of wet coughing. He saw blood at his feet. His vision went dark at the edges, and through the narrow tunnel of his vision, he saw Fangmon knock Impmon to the side, and pin down Lopmon as they had done with Terriermon.

Suddenly, Guilmon felt a stab of loneliness, more overpowering than the pain wracking his body. He missed Takato. If Takato were here, he would win this fight for sure. They had always fought together, and they had always won. Somehow, his tamer had always managed to find a way through even the darkest, scariest situations they faced. But now, alone and unable to move, he watched as Fangmon moved to make the killing blow.

There was a flash of yellow, and a fist connected with Fangmon's face. Fangmon staggered back, and before they could recover, a kick to their jaw knocked their head back, and another sharp punch lashed out, connecting with their throat.

"Renamon."

Guilmon barely breathed the word, injured as he was.

Renamon stood between Fangmon and Lopmon. They raised their fists, issuing a silent challenge to their new opponent.

Fangmon rushed forward, snapping at Renamon with blurring speed, but Renamon easily jumped to the side, taking the opportunity to make a quick jab at Fangmon's ribs. Fangmon whirled and snapped again, but Renamon slipped out of range. Fangmon pressed the attack, driving Renamon further back, until with an unexpected burst of speed, they overtook the fox. They reared up on their hind legs, and tried to slam Renamon with both forelimbs, but Renamon reversed their retreat, and went inside Fangmon's range.

Renamon Grabbed their opponent, and with a twist of their body, threw them to the ground. Fangmon lashed and writhed, trying to scramble to their feet, but Renamon grabbed their muzzle, forcing their jaws shut and driving their face into the ground.

" _Finish them._ " Renamon called out.

Impmon and Lopmon responded, pelting Fangmon with glowing projectiles. Fangmon Bucked and writhed under the assault, nearly throwing Renamon off.

Guilmon gathered every bit of flagging strength in his body, willing his feet to move, willing his arm to raise, willing back the darkness threatening to overtake his consciousness. In a few strides, he was beside the two grapplers. With a cry of anger and pain, he brought his claw down.

" _Rock breaker!_ "

The blow connected, and Fangmon's body burst into a cloud of data particles.

Guilmon collapsed. He thought he felt his body go fuzzy, as if he were close to dispersing himself. Then Renamon lifted him off the ground, and slung his limp form over their shoulder.

Guilmon passed out. Everything was dark for a time.

"Pwah!"

Guilmon opened his eyes. He still felt the exhaustion of the past few days, a heaviness that had seeped deep into his bones, but the pain in his body was receding.

"Pwah! Pwah!"

MarineAngemon was healing him with their ocean love. Guilmon wanted to relax in the warm wash of bubbles, but needed to make sure everyone was okay. He sat up, and looked around.

Terriermon lay beside him, still looking battered from the fight. Everyone else was gathered around them, save for Renamon, who stood well away, towards the entrance of the cave. They were carrying a bulging burlap sack over their shoulder.

MarineAngemon turned their attention to Terriermon. After a few heart-shaped bubbles drifted over him, he stirred.

"Ugh. What happened?" He said.

"Now that you're awake-" Said Renamon. They shrugged the sack off their shoulder, and set down in front of them. It was full of food; fresh vegetables and smoked meats, as well as smaller bags of uncooked rice and a few bulging waterskins.

"I apologize for my earlier words and actions." Said Renamon. "I know you must despise me, so, even after this, if you still do not want me to return to the group, then I will accept your decision. However, I hope that you consider otherw- Oh."

Guilmon and Terriermon had already rushed over to their friend, and had wrapped them up in a group hug.

"I'm so glad you're back!" Said Guilmon.

"Don't ever leave us again." Said Terriermon.

Renamon glanced at Impmon, who looked away sheepishly.

"Thanks for the food." He mumbled.


	4. Day 11

"I have a plan." Said Guilmon.

After a full meal and the first good night of sleep in over a week, everyone was looking markedly better than they were yesterday. Even Culumon was up and about, running circles around MarineAngemon.

"Renamon was able to find food in one of the higher worlds after only a few days, so I think we could do the same thing again." Guilmon glanced over at Renamon, who was still sitting separately from the rest of the group.

"Where did you find all of that, anyway?"

"I stole it from a storehouse." Said Renamon. "A lot of digimon have been displaced from their homes, so base necessities are being consolidated and distributed among those who need them. Of course, the stores are heavily guarded, but they never even knew I was there."

"Is it as dangerous up there as we thought?" Said Guilmon.

"Yes." Said Renamon. "The peaceful communities are under constant threat of being attacked by powerful, wandering digimon. Unless we place ourselves under the protection of powerful allies, then we would be safer in the wasteland."

"And any allies we find may be fickle." Said Lopmon. "It would be safer not to grant that trust, in case anyone were to recognize us, and our unique status as partnered digimon."

"So it makes the most sense to stay in the wasteland." Said Guilmon. "Especially since our partners will probably show up here, when they come back to the digital world."

" _If_ they come back." Said Impmon. Guilmon ignored him.

"We just need to go into the higher worlds for a little while at a time." Said Guilmon. "Send scouting expeditions instead of scouting patrols.

"We can split up into smaller teams, so that there is always someone back here. That way, If anyone gets caught in a data stream, or something else causes them to be separated from the rest of us, they can always come back here, and find someone waiting for them. And there will always be someone here for when our tamers do come. Then, we can just explain what the situation is, and we can all wait for a few days for the rest of the expeditions to get back, then we all go back to the real world together."

"We should leave signs, so that it's easier for the tamers to find us." Said Kokuwamon.

"Great idea." Said Impmon flatly. "Can anyone here read or write?"

"I can." Said Terriermon. "Jian taught me Japanese, and a little bit of Cantonese."

"I know Japanese as well." Said Lopmon.

"I have mastery over several written languages." Said Renamon. "The knowledge was granted to me when I evolved into Taomon."

"What? That's totally unfair." Said Impmon. "I didn't magically gain convenient knowledge when I evolved."

He thought for a moment.

"Actually, scratch that. I did learn how to ride a motorcycle. Okay, I take it back. That's way cooler than your thing."

"I should remind everyone", said Lopmon, "that we had best not draw digimon's attention to us. Especially if any signage were to imply that we have tamers. If we are to leave them messages, it must be a message that only they will understand."

"My hazard symbol." Said Guilmon. He pointed to his chest. "Other digimon will think that it says 'keep away', but Takato will know what it really means."

"I still think we should be looking for a way back ourselves." Said Terriermon. "I don't want our tamers to have to put themselves in danger to find us. Plus, who knows how long it will take them to even make their way back here?"

"What he said." Said Impmon.

"I understand your concerns." Said Lopmon. "But now we should focus on our own survival. If we are ever in a stable enough position that we could safely launch a larger-scale exploration, then we can reconsider."

"And how are we all gonna go up to the higher worlds without getting deleted in the first five seconds?" Said Impmon.

"Good question." Said Guilmon. He looked at Lopmon. "How can we fight digimon that are stronger than us?"

"Why do you turn to me with such a question?"

"You said yourself that you were a soldier." Said Terriermon. "I figure that means you have the best combat and tactical knowledge out of any of us."

Guilmon nodded.

"I suppose that is true." Said Lopmon. "Although, to speak the truth, our chances for defeating more powerful digimon are poor. I cannot perform miracles, as our gods can, but I can offer the best strategic advice I have to give."

"Let's hear it." Said Terriermon.

"Very well. I believe the optimal choice is to split ourselves into teams of two. Each team must be capable of four things: limiting an enemy's movement, stunning an enemy at close range, quickly evading attacks, and finding means of escape if the battle is unwinnable.

"While it is true that larger teams would give us a greater chance of success in any given battle, I believe our priority should be to avoid fights altogether, and end engagements whenever possible. I believe that in most cases, a pair of digimon should be able to achieve this. And if a team were to come across an enemy from which there is no victory or escape…"

Lopmon paused.

"Then the losses will be fewer."

"How do we decide who pairs up?" Said Guilmon.

"How about you and me, Lopmon?" Said Terriermon. "We seem pretty well matched."

"And therein lies the problem." Said Lopmon. "Our abilities are too similar. We do not compliment each other's strengths or cover each other's weaknesses. Each team needs a greater diversity of skills."

"So who do you think should go together then?"

"MarineAngemon and Culumon, firstly." Said Lopmon. "They are both lacking in attack power, but as Renamon stated, Culumon is our greatest asset. MarineAngemon is the most capable of keeping them safe.

"Beyond that, each team must have a capable ranged attacker to keep foes at bay, and a combatant able to hold their own at close range. Guilmon is able in both roles, so he will be a capable ally to anyone he is assigned. For that reason, we should choose his teammate last."

"Oh yeah, there are nine of us." Said Terriermon. "Does that mean there will be a team of three, or, will there be an odd 'mon out?"

"I'll go alone." Said Renamon. "I am the fastest. It will be easier to escape from a battle if there is no one to slow me down."

"That is acceptable." Said Lopmon. "You have proven yourself in a higher world once already."

"Okay, what if I paired up with Kokuwamon?" Said Terriermon. "I think we'd get along well. And all your attacks are the up-close type, right? I fight best at a distance, so I think that could work."

"Indeed." Said Kokuwamon.

"Very well." Said Lopmon. "If he is agreeable to it, I would like to choose Monodramon. His raw strength would complement my skills nicely."

"Okie-dokie." Said Monodramon.

Guilmon turned to Impmon. "That leaves you and me." He said. "This is exciting. It'll be fun!"

"Great. Of course I would be picked last." Said Impmon. "Whatever. I guess if I have to, I'll take on the job of saving your ass."

"Now that that is decided," said Lopmon, "we should develop battle strategies for each team, keeping in mind the goals of combat I have laid out. Guilmon, if you and Impmon were to face Fangmon again, what would you have done differently?"

By the end of the day, everyone had developed a coherent plan for fighting strong digimon, and had returned from practicing new maneuvers in the wasteland.

Guilmon found Terriermon at the entrance of the cave, staring out over the bleak landscape.

"Hi Terriermon. How are you doing?"

"Oh, you know." Said Terriermon. "Better now that my belly's full. How about you?"

"That's not what I meant." Said Guilmon. "You've been acting kinda different since we came back to the digital world. I don't think you've said 'moumantai' once."

"Yeah, I guess not." Said Terriermon. Guilmon sat down beside him.

"I want to act like everything's okay." Said Terriermon. "But it's not. I'm scared, Guilmon. I want to go home and sleep in a bed again. I want to tell Jian that I'm okay. I want to see Shaochung. I can't stop thinking about them, and- and it hurts to think about." Terriermon choked up on the last few words. He blinked back tears.

"You'll see them again." Said Guilmon. "I promise."

"When?"

"Soon. Really, really soon." Said Guilmon. "So don't worry so much, okay? Until then, I hope we all get to see a little more of the carefree Terriermon. You've always been able to lighten the mood when things seem too serious."

Terriermon forced a smile.

"Moumantai." He said. He couldn't put much sincerity into the word, but maybe if he kept trying, he would manage.


	5. Day 39

Lopmon looked over the new fortifications. Everything seemed to be in order.

Over the past week, the digimon had relocated from their temporary home in the cliff face to a small underground maze that Monodramon had uncovered while scouting. Hypothetically, if an enemy attacked them in this new locale, it would be easier to lose them in the twisting, branching corridors. Lopmon had ordered everyone to go over every inch of the maze again and again, in order to memorize its layout. Then, Lopmon had started designing traps to dispatch anyone who took a wrong turn.

"FUCK!"

Lopmon heard the shout echo down from a distant hall. That would be Impmon, most likely. He had probably accidentally triggered the falling block trap again. Lopmon sighed. He should have taken the time to learn the maze better. That was what he got for not taking orders seriously.

Things had fallen into a routine now. Every few days, Renamon, Impmon, Guilmon, Lopmon and Monodramon would go up to one of the higher worlds and acquire food and resources, either through scavenging, stealing, bartering, or swindling. Meanwhile, Terriermon, Kokuwamon, Culumon, and Marineangemon would wander around the wasteland, drawing hazard symbols on easily noticeable surfaces, and writing cryptic clues that would guide their partners to the digimon's location. MarineAngemon was even working on a giant symbol that would be visible from above, so that the tamers would notice it when they first descended from the real world.

The new battle strategy was working well enough. Everyone did their best to stay out of sight when a strong digimon approached, and when that didn't work, the teams of two always put up enough of a fight that the stronger digimon thought twice before pursuing them when they escaped. They hadn't won any battles this way, but they hadn't lost any either.

Lopmon had a notion that they had been ruminating on for some time now. They had even talked it over with Monodramon. It seemed that now was as good a time as any to bring it up with the rest of the group.

"Aah, fuck!"

And that would be Terriermon. He probably triggered the swinging log trap.

Later, when everyone was gathered together, Lopmon laid out their plans.

"Starting tomorrow," they said, "Monodramon and I are going to seek out the realm of the four gods. We will be gone for extended periods of time, but I believe all of you are fit to manage without our presence."

"How long are you talking about?" Said Terriermon. "I thought you didn't know how to reach the gods' world."

"There is one way." Said Lopmon. "Although it relies on persistence and random chance.

"My thought is that we will allow ourselves to swept up by data streams. The data streams could deposit us anywhere in the digital world, so we will likely have to try again and again, until we find one that will grant us access to our intended destination.

"Monodramon and I both have knowledge of this world and the navigation thereof, so we should be able to find our way back to the wasteland, no matter where we are deposited. Each time we are transported, we will return and repeat the process, until our plan is successful."

"I'll go with you." Said Terriermon. "If there's a chance it could help us get back home, I want to help."

Lopmon shook their head.

"As much as I would appreciate your companionship, you would do more good back here. With myself and Monodramon gone, you and Kokuwamon will be needed to gather resources from the upper worlds."

"Yeah, but…" Terriermon paused. "I'm sick of waiting around. I wish there was something more I could do."

"What if our tamers show up while you're gone?" Said Guilmon. "How long will we need to wait for you to come back? If they send another arc like Grani, then we might not have that long to all get on it. Ruki, Renamon, and Impmon almost got left behind last time, and we were all in the same world then."

"We will have to take that chance." Said Lopmon. "Though I am loath to say it, it has already been longer than a month, and our tamers have not returned for us. They are most likely incapable of making the journey, and they may not be able to for some time. I believe that seeking out the gods is our best course of action at present."

Guilmon considered for a moment.

"Okay," he said, "but take MarineAngemon with you. If you really could end up anywhere, then you're going to be in a lot more danger than the rest of us."

"What about Culumon?" Said Lopmon.

"We can protect them." Said Guilmon. "Leave it to me."

Lopmon frowned.

"What about MarineAngemon's healing abilities? You, out of anyone, will need them most of all."

The fight with Fangmon wasn't the only battle that had left Guilmon beaten and bloodied. Time after time, he would return from an expedition with cuts, burns, and broken bones. Once, he even lost a sizable length off the end of his tail, which had still not finished growing back.

Guilmon's combative instincts were no doubt the strongest in the group, but that only worked to his detriment in the current situation. When the urge to fight overcame him, it affected his ability to reason. Lopmon wondered how many times Impmon had had to pull him back from the brink, yelling at him until he regained his senses.

It was worrying. Without his tamer, it seemed that Guilmon was in danger of reverting back to a more primitive state. At least the reptile digimon had a considerable tolerance for pain.

"You'll need MarineAngemon more than the rest of us." Said Guilmon. "Those data streams might be dangerous. What if it drops you above one of the big holes the D-Reaper ate out of the world? MarineAngemon can float you to safety."

"He might be right." Said Monodramon.

Lopmon said nothing. Their brow furrowed.

"I'll be okay, I promise." Said Guilmon. "I just have to be more careful, that's all. Who knows, Culumon might even be able to start evolving us soon. Then we won't have to worry as much."

Lopmon nodded reluctantly.

"Very well. See that you stay out of trouble."

"You too, Lopmon." Said Terriermon. "Stay safe, okay? For Shaochung."

Late that night, Guilmon jerked awake. He dreamed that he was lost in the maze, and every path he took only added to his frustrated confusion. He was looking for something important, but he couldn't quite remember what.

He lay there in the dark, taking a moment to remind himself where he was, and what was real as the haze of sleep faded away. Even though he was no longer lost in endless corridors, he could not shake the feeling that he was missing something. He looked around. Everyone else was asleep on the stone floor, swathed in blankets and pillows acquired on the scouting expeditions, with one notable exception. Renamon wasn't there.

Guilmon was on his feet as soon as he registered the information. Was Renamon trying to leave again, this time without so much as a word of explanation or farewell?

Guilmon darted through the maze towards the exit. He had spent the last week getting to know the maze, and unlike in his dream, he could navigate it easily, even in the near-total dark. Once outside, it didn't take him long to find Renamon; he picked up their scent trail easily, and they had not wandered far.

They sat atop roughly-shaped a stone column jutting at an angle out of the dusty ground. They were bathed in the neon light of the real-world sphere, spinning perpetually in the sky.

Renamon didn't acknowledge Guilmon's presence, so he clawed his way up the side of the rock, and took a seat beside his friend.

"Couldn't sleep?" He said.

Renamon's gaze flicked towards Guilmon for only a moment before resting back on the sphere.

"No."

Guilmon stared too. He wondered why the representation of the real world appeared in that form; like the earth, but different. A surreal imitation of the place where he had once lived.

"We'll go back there soon. I know we will." He said.

Renamon's reply was barely a whisper.

"How can you be sure?"

Guilmon turned to face them.

"Don't you believe it? You told Ruki that you would see each other again someday, so you must believe, right?"

"I didn't want her to be sad." Said Renamon. "I only said it to comfort her – or maybe myself – but I do not know what the future holds. What I wish for may be impossible."

"You really care about her, don't you?"

"Yes." Renamon was silent for a moment. "She gave me a reason to live beyond just fighting and loading data. If I cannot be by her side, then I am without purpose. I am nothing."

"You're still you." Said Guilmon. "That's something."

Renamon was silent.

"Hey, Renamon?"

"Yes?"

"Why did you decide to come back?"

Renamon's eyes drifted down to focus on the ragged horizon.

"I still think about leaving sometimes." They said. "It is difficult being around everyone. It reminds me of what I had to leave behind. It would be easier to just forget about the past and move on."

"I'm sorry." Said Guilmon.

"But you said that I was your friend." Said Renamon. "Those words followed me persistently while I was alone. I am unaccustomed to having friends. It seems abandoning them is not something so easily done."


	6. Day 90

Guilmon, Impmon, and Culumon walked through tall grass along the cliff's edge. It was raining lightly, the kind of small, feathery drops that turned to mist as soon they landed. The air was thick with fog, that seemed to have an unnaturally consistent density, casting a smooth grey gradient in every direction. The digimon couldn't see the sky, or the horizon, or the ground when they looked over the cliff. The small flame that danced at Impmon's fingertip barely helped. It would be far too easy to get lost in this fog, so the three followed the rocky ledge, the only reliable feature of this landscape.

Every few minutes, they would come across a massive boulder, standing vertically, overlooking the ocean of fog. The shape of them reminded Impmon of lighthouses, like he had seen in pictures. He wasn't sure if there was any significance there, or if it was just a random quirk of the discarded data that made up so many features of the digital world.

Culumon tapped both of their companions on the shoulder.

"I heard something, culu." They whispered.

"Damnit." Impmon hissed, and extinguished his flame. He grabbed Guilmon by one of the wing-like frills on his head, and pulled him down under the surface of the tall grass.

"Stay quiet this time." Said Impmon, in a hushed voice. "If you go off with your usual growling and snarling routine, you're gonna get us killed."

Guilmon nodded, and let out a calming breath.

Impmon poked his head out above the grass, flattening his ears as low as they would go. He saw a shape in the fog, and indistinct shadow that was becoming larger and sharper with each breathless second.

Whatever was out there was coming towards them. Impmon's mind raced. Had it actually noticed them, or were they just in its path? Maybe it had smelled them? If they needed to make a run for it, would they survive jumping off the cliff? Gravity worked differently in the digital world, operating on simple, linear arithmetic rather than a realistic physics simulation, so terminal velocity here wasn't nearly as dangerous. They had no way of knowing, however, what was at the bottom of the foggy ocean, if it even had a bottom.

The approaching shape started to take on recognizable features, as the intervening distance and fog grew less and less. Impmon could see six insectile legs, and a pair of powerful front claws. Then its tail came into view, a segmented, barbed tail with a tip like a serrated blade. The creature had a white exoskeleton that gave it a spiny, skeletal appearance.

SkullScorpiomon. What the hell was such a scary digimon doing in a dreary little area like this?

"Yeep!"

Impmon's hands clasped over his mouth half a second too late, and he let out a small yelp of fear. If SkullScorpiomon hadn't noticed them before, it had now.

This time, Guilmon pulled Impmon to the ground. Just in time too, as the scorpion advanced with unnatural speed, and lashed out with its tail.

Blades of grass fell all around the three smaller digimon. SkullScorpiomon's tail had cut a clean arc just over their heads, leaving them exposed.

Guilmon moved between Impmon and their foe, shielding him with his body. Culumon flew out over the cliff face, staying well out of the scorpion's range.

The scorpion plucked Guilmon off the ground with one of its scythe-like claws. Impmon heard joints pop as it squeezed. Guilmon let out a strangled gasp.

"Culumon, do it now!" Impmon screamed.

The crest on Culumons head shone crimson, and Guilmon's body began to glow. His form expanded, causing the vice-like claw to separate. Even before his transformation was complete, he had already taken hold of the grasping fingers, and forced them even further apart, until the joint reached its limit, and broke with a loud crack.

Growmon now stood, facing his opponent. His eyes glowed red, and a furious, rumbling growl crawled its way up from the pit of his stomach.

SkullScorpiomon, undeterred by its broken claw, lashed out with its bladed tail. Growmon twisted out of the way so that the thrust only glanced his chest, but the razor edge still left a line of blood across his thick scales.

" _Plasma Blade!_ "

The spurs on Growmon's forearms glowed with energy, and he rushed in to finish his opponent. SkullScorpiomon danced back, and counterattacked with a whirling slash. Growmon continued his assault, but was blocked time and again by the flickering tail. All his attempts earned were a series of shallow cuts on his arms.

Finally, growing frustrated, Growmon inhaled deeply, preparing an exhaust flame, but this gave SkullScorpiomon all the opening it needed. Its tail blade thudded into Growmon's chest.

Impmon cringed. It was a credit to Growmon's ridiculous toughness that he didn't die on the spot. Instead, he grabbed just below the base of the blade with both claws, sunk his teeth into the length of tail he could reach, and tore with all his might.

He stumbled backwards, with the blade still embedded in his chest. The good news was that it was no longer attached to Skullscorpiomon.

The scorpion was disarmed, but Growmon was off balance. SkullScorpiomon rushed forward, throwing all of its weight at its opponent. Growmon tumbled backwards, stopping just short of the cliff's edge. SkullScorpiomon charged again.

Before he went over, Growmon grabbed one of the bone-plated legs, and dragged his foe with him.

Impmon rushed to the edge of the cliff, only to see the two flailing figures descend into the opaque fog.

There was a tense silence. Then a crash. Then Growmon's howl of fury. Then silence.

A few stray particles of data drifted up through the mist.

Impmon, frozen on his hands and knees, stared down into the abyss, unable to do anything but wish for some sign of life from his friend. Then he saw a shadow dragging its way up the cliff face. For a panicked moment, he thought it might be SkullScorpiomon, but soon enough he recognized Growmon's silhouette.

The blade in Growmon's chest was gone, and the wound it left behind was bleeding freely. Growmon pulled himself up over the ledge with trembling arms, then reared his head back and roared, eyes still clouded by the frenzied heat of battle.

"Hey!" Said Impmon. "Snap out of it, it's over!"

Growmon ignored him. His eyes swept back and forth, searching for a new foe to unleash his rage on; they found only empty fog. Growmon let out a rumbling snarl of dissatisfaction.

"Damn it." Impmon swore through clenched teeth. He produced another flame at his fingertip, and hurled it at the hulking beast. He knew he was poking the bear – or rather, the twenty foot fire-breathing lizard – but this was the only way to get his attention in this state.

Growmon turned to face his attacker, staring down at Impmon's tiny form. A tingle of fear crept down Impmon's spine. He had a flash of sense memory; the feeling of Megidramon's hot breath on his face.

"Look at me!" Said Impmon. "If you don't de-evolve to get rid of that wound, you'll bleed to death. It's time to calm down!"

Growmon took a step forward, then another.

"Guilmon, listen to me. I said _calm down!_ "

A spark of recognition flashed across Growmon's eyes. He stopped his tracks, then collapsed, falling just short of where Impmon stood. His form glowed, and changed shape, shifting back into Guilmon.

Hours later, Guilmon awoke from unconsciousness. Impmon had dragged his body to one of the large, cliffside rocks, and had made a small lean-to out of sticks and grass. Culumon was asleep by the summoned ball of flame that Impmon was concentrating to sustain.

Seeing his teammate stir, Impmon spoke.

"I can't keep this up, Guilmon."

Still not fully coherent, Guilmon rubbed his chest. The wound was gone, but a memory of the stinging pain still lingered.

"It's okay." He said. "I'll be warm enough without it."

"That's not what I meant." Said Impmon. "I can't keep going out like this. You keep losing control, and it's putting you in danger. I keep thinking that one of these days, I won't be able to stop you. I couldn't handle that. I already have one death on my conscience, I don't need another."

"What are you saying?" Said Guilmon. "Do you mean that I should team up with someone else?"

Impmon turned his back to Guilmon.

"Do whatever you want."


	7. Day 138

Lopmon and the rest still weren't back. They had appeared back in the wasteland half a dozen times or so, but never stayed longer than a single night. Sometimes, they only took a few hours to pick up a new stock of supplies, then head back out into the world, looking for data streams. It had been more than a month since anyone had seen or heard from them. Each time they went out, it took longer to return. The digital world was growing. Not only were old, destroyed locations reshaping themselves, but entirely new areas were starting to appear as well. It must mean that the network was still growing back on earth. This was a positive sign, but it also meant that the three exploring digimon had a harder time of finding their way around. There was nothing to do but hope they were okay.

Culumon often asked when they would see MarineAngemon again, although no one ever had a good answer. The two tiny digimon had become close friends in the brief time that they had spent exploring the wasteland together. MarineAngemon had been a good teammate, keeping Culumon company, and warding off any unfriendly digimon with ease.

Guilmon finished scratching another hazard symbol onto a big rock. He had been to this area before, and there were already multiple such signs visible from the ground, but it couldn't hurt to add another. This way, it would be harder to miss.

"I'm bored, culu." Said Culumon. "Wanna play?"

Guilmon sighed. He didn't feel much like playing lately. Now that Impmon wouldn't go with him to the higher worlds, he could only leave the wasteland if one or two of the others agreed to go with him, which wasn't often. Terriermon and Guardromon had developed a solid routine. After he had evolved, Guardromon never reverted back to his child form, and Terriermon could stay as Gargomon for days at a time, so they usually went together. Renamon still preferred solitude, and would only rarely let Guilmon tag along.

Those were the obvious reasons why he was so often alone, but he suspected that after Impmon had ended their pairing, everyone had motives they weren't saying aloud. Maybe they were scared for him, or scared _of_ him. Maybe both.

Whatever the case, everyone had been a little distant lately. It made Guilmon miss Takato even more. Even so, he tried not to think about his partner so much. He was starting to understand what Renamon meant when they said it would be easier to forget and move on.

But he couldn't let himself do that. He knew Takato would be back for him. Even after all this time, he knew his partner wouldn't give up. Whatever had kept him away for this long couldn't stop him forever. There had to be a way.

"Okay, Culumon," said Guilmon, "what do you want to play?"

"I dunno."

"Tag?"

"We've played that too many times."

"Hide-and-seek?"

"There are no good places left to hide, culu."

"Rock, paper, scissors?"

"You only know how to do paper."

"Umm... staring contest?"

"That's more boring than nothing! Cululu!"

A few stray dust packets rolled by. Guilmon watched them go.

"Let's go back to the maze." He said. "Maybe Guardromon and Gargomon are back with some food."

"Do you think MarineAngemon is back, culu?"

"I don't know."

As the two walked towards their subterranean shelter, Guilmon asked a question he had been pondering for some time.

"Hey, Culumon, why do some of us go back to child level after a while, when other digimon can stay at higher levels. I mean, I've never seen MarineAngemon go down to a lower level, and they're an ultimate."

"You don't have enough data."

Culumon's tone of voice changed when they answered. There was something less childlike about it. It reminded Guilmon that there was a part of Culumon that had been around since the earliest days of the digital world. Their mind and body were young, but the power that they held was ancient, at least by digimon standards.

Culumon continued. "Evolution requires two things, culu; data and energy. If a digimon has absorbed enough data to reach a higher level, culu, then all they need is a big boost of energy to power the transformation. Perfect and ultimate evolutions also need a matrix to crystalize the new form's data, but only once, culu cululu."

"So do you give digimon the energy to evolve?" Said Guilmon.

"Sometimes." Said Culumon. "I can make it so that the evolution uses less energy, and sometimes just that is enough. I can also build a matrix for the higher evolutions.

"If you don't have enough data though, then the only way to evolve is to get a lot of extra energy from a temporary source. If your tamers give you enough energy, then you can evolve without my help, or even without a blue card. It's not efficient though. And once you use all the energy, you turn back, culu."

"You weren't around when Terriermon and I reached our ultimate evolutions." Said Guilmon. "You said we need a matrix for that, right? So how did that work?" He thought for a few seconds. "What is a matrix, anyway?"

"Culu, your tamers' bodies became the matrix. Even I don't fully understand how, cululu."

"Huh." Said Guilmon. "Hey, how do you know all of this?"

"I've been remembering bits and pieces, culu. I wasn't Culumon back then – I wasn't anyone, so it's really strange to think about, culu. But I knew a lot about evolution."

"Hmmmm. I'm not really sure I understand it all." Said Guilmon. "But basically, you can give us the energy to evolve, and our tamers can give us the energy to evolve, and it works best when you work together? Also, the evolution doesn't stick unless we have enough data?"

"Yep, that's about it, culu."

"What about that one time during our first trip to the digital world when Takato and I were separated, and you weren't around, and I evolved to Growmon anyway, and then Hirokazu and Kenta rode around on my head?"

"No clue, culu!" Said Culumon. "Don't worry about it, I guess!"

As it turned out, Gargomon and Guardromon were not back from their current expedition. The maze felt empty with only Renamon and Impmon in it. Neither of them talked much these days. They both glanced in his direction when he and Culumon returned, but offered no word of greeting.

Renamon's ears perked up.

"Something's coming." They said.

They put a hand to the floor. "Something big. It's faint, but the ground is shaking."

Without another word, they darted off towards the maze's entrance. Everyone followed.

On the surface, Guilmon looked around. There was no visible sign of the threat, but there was a constant, deep, mechanical growl. The air trembled and the earth buzzed. Guilmon smelled something in the air. It was something familiar, something he hadn't smelled in a long time. It was a city smell – motor oil and exhaust?

"Wait," said Impmon, "I recognize that sound. It couldn't be… Behemoth?"

"Who's Behemoth?" Said Guilmon.

Suddenly, the low rumble made a sharp spike in pitch and volume. Whatever it was was coming closer. Renamon assumed a fighting stance.

"No way." Said Impmon. "It really is you."

" _Who's Behemoth?_ "

Beelzebumon's motorcycle burst into view, ramping off of a nearby cliff ledge. It crashed into the ground, somehow staying upright as it kicked up a cloud of dust. The bike sped towards the digimon, but stopped just short of running them over.

Impmon grinned. "Finally, something good happens!"

Renamon looked at Guilmon, puzzled. "Didn't you…"

"I thought so." Said Guilmon.

"This is incredible!" Said Impmon. "Behemoth, how'd you find me? I thought I'd seen the last of you."

"Yeah…" Said Guilmon. "Because Dukemon destroyed it, remember?"

"Does this mean a digimon has a chance of coming back if their data isn't loaded?" Said Renamon.

"I dunno." Said Impmon. "Behemoth isn't really a digimon though. I don't know what you'd call it."

"That's kinda scary." Said Guilmon. "It's like a monster that won't stay dead."

"I wonder if this means I could summon Death Slinger again if I evolved." Said Impmon. "I thought I had lost that too, but I guess my toys don't always stay gone."

He hopped up into the rider's seat.

"Hah! No more walking for days to get where I'm going."

He paused for a beat.

"...Except my feet don't reach the pedals. Hey, fox, help me out here. You have long legs."

"I'll pass." Said Renamon.

Impmon groaned. "Alright, I guess that just leaves you, Guilmon. Want to learn to ride a motorcycle?"

"It was just driving on its own." Said Guilmon. "Can't it move without someone on the pedals?"

"Not while I'm controlling it." Said Impmon. "And if I'm not controlling it, it's controlling me."

"Um, okay." Said Guilmon. He tentatively approached the bike.

"H- Hi, Behemoth." He said. "Sorry I stabbed you with a lance. No hard feelings, right?"

Behemoth rumbled.

"Hey, there's no call for that kind of attitude." Said Impmon. "You're gonna play nice with Guilmon, got it?"

He turned to Guilmon.

"Just climb up here behind me. I should probably keep hold of the handlebars. If I don't, it might try to take over your mind."

"Are you sure this is safe?" Said Guilmon.

"Absolutely not. Now pay attention. By your left foot is the gear shifter. You want to use that when you see me do this with my left hand. Your right foot is the brake pedal. Use that when we want to stop."

"What's a gear shifter?"

"Aah, never mind. Just move your feet when I tell you to. Ready?"

The motorcycle lurched forward, gears grinding, then suddenly stopped, jostling its two riders.

"This seems fun," said Renamon flatly, "but I'm going inside." They turned to leave.

"Renamon, play with meeeee." Said Culumon, following after.

By the end of the day, Guilmon and Impmon actually managed to get the massive bike moving; not very fast or very smoothly, but they were able to crawl along for a few miles. Before turning around to return to the maze, they stopped beside a tall rock spire for a break.

Impmon turned to Guilmon.

"Hey, Guilmon… Aah, shit. I'm no good at apologies. Listen, I'm sorry I can't go scouting with you anymore. I know you must be mad at me, but I don't like things being all awkward between us."

"Huh? I'm not mad at you." Said Guilmon. "I thought you were mad at me – for losing control all the time."

Impmon sighed. "Right. Of course you're not mad at me. How could you be? You're just a wholesome idiot who doesn't know any better. Except when you turn into a blood-crazed murder monster, that is. If you were actually mad, I'd be in a lot more trouble."

"So you're not mad either?"

"No, I'm not mad." Said Impmon. "I just don't want you getting killed, that's all. You deserve a better teammate than me."

"What do you mean?" Said Guilmon.

"I can't protect you." Said Impmon. "I'm totally pathetic. I mean, what kind of digimon can evolve to ultimate, but not adult? Except I can't evolve to ultimate, since my tamers aren't here, and Culumon isn't that powerful."

He gritted his teeth. "I'm the weakest one here."

"You're a really good teammate." Said Guilmon. "You did protect me. Think of all the times you snapped me out of it and got me to stop fighting. I would have gotten hurt a lot worse a lot of times if you weren't there."

"I don't deserve to be with you." Said Impmon.

"That's not true!" Said Guilmon.

"Yes it is. I can't have anything I want. Not friends, not power, not redemption, not- not partners, not a home. I always screw it up, and everything gets taken away. Every chance I've ever had to be happy has been ruined.

"I'm a bad person, Guilmon. I was horrible to you and everyone. I don't get why you're so nice to me."

"That was a long time ago." Said Guilmon. "Sure, you picked on me back then, but we were both a lot younger. We've changed."

"Even if that's true," said Impmon, "I can't change what I've done in the past. I tried to kill you and your friends. I almost shot them."

"Wouldn't be the first time." Said Guilmon. "Did I ever tell you about when Gargomon first evolved? And Zhuquiaomon tried to destroy all human life, but he turned out to be okay in the end."

But- but I killed Leomon." Said Impmon. "I can never pretend that that doesn't matter."

Guilmon's expression grew serious.

"We've all loaded digimon." He said. "I know Renamon has done it a lot, and Terriermon too, even though we've never talked about it."

"Leomon was different." Said Impmon. "He was brave, and noble, and kind, and he had friends. I killed him even though I knew it would hurt Juri- hurt everyone."

Guilmon took a long time before responding.

"You're right. I know that. That's why I wanted to kill you for what you had done."

"You don't have to remind me." Said Impmon.

"But Juri stopped me." Guilmon continued. "I didn't understand why at the time. I guess I still don't; not completely. But I thought about it a lot. I think that just because you've done a bad thing doesn't always mean you're a bad person."

"That doesn't make any sense." Said Impmon. "How can you even tell if I'm a bad person, then?"

"I don't know." Said Guilmon. He smiled. "I guess I just like you."

Impmon grimaced. "It really is that simple for you, isn't it? You can just like someone, without feeling all complicated about it. Man, that really pisses me off. It's so naive. It's so _stupid_. It makes me want to bang my head against a rock. It makes me want to puke!

"It's annoying because- because I like you too."

Impmon blushed. Guilmon's eyes went wide.

"Impmon, are you confessing your feelings for me?"

"What does it look like?"

"Romantic feelings?" Guilmon's heart beat a little faster.

"Shut up! I mean, yes." Said Impmon.

"Wow, no one's ever told me they felt that way." Said Guilmon. "This is amazing!"

"Oh…" Said Impmon. He looked away, embarrassed. "I'm glad I said it, then."

"Do you want to kiss?" Said Guilmon.

"Y- yeah. Okay."

Guilmon leaned in.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Said Impmon. "Keep your mouth closed! I don't want to stare down your throat. I'm still traumatized from the last time."

"Oh, right." Said Guilmon. "Sorry."


	8. Day 210

"The gods are dead."

That was the first thing Lopmon said when they, Monodramon, and MarineAngemon returned. The trio had made their way back to the maze with slumped shoulders, defeat and exhaustion weighing them down.

"How is that possible?" Said Terriermon. "I thought they were really strong. I mean, I know they were strong. I fought one."

"Their final act was to drag the cable reaper back through the transphotic eddy." Said Lopmon. "They succeeded, but lost their lives in the struggle."

"They saved both worlds, though." Said Monodramon. "We couldn't have run Shaggai without their help."

"Pi pue po po." Said MarineAngemon.

"We heard the story from some of the ultimate level digimon who stayed in the gods' realm." Said Lopmon. "They saw the fight firsthand."

"So that means that no one can help us get back…" Said Terriermon.

"It is worse, even, than that." Said Lopmon. "From the gods' realm, there is a barrier visible in the sky. If my suspicions are correct, that barrier is preventing digimon from entering the real world altogether."

"So no one can leave?" Said Guilmon.

"Correct." Said Lopmon. "This, too, is something we have learned on our travels. Of everyone we've encountered, none have heard news of a digimon traveling to the real world."

"At least you're back here with us." Said Guilmon. "You can rest now." His voice took on a sympathetic tone. "You look tired."

"Yes." Lopmon rubbed their eyes, trying to hold back tears. "I'm sorry." They said, voice shaking. "This is difficult knowledge to bear. I wish I had never sought the gods' realm in the first place. It was all for naught, in the end."

"It's okay. You had to try." Said Guilmon.

"Yeah, don't be sad." Said Terriermon, putting a reassuring hand on Lopmon's shoulder. "Moumantai. Our tamers are still coming for us. Right, Guilmon?"

"Right. I'm sure of it."


	9. Day 416

"Why should you be the one to evolve to perfect level?" Said Guardromon. "What does Cyberdramon have that Andromon doesn't?"

"High-speed flight, impact-absorbing rubber armor, an attack that can erase anything, indomitable desire to fight." Said Strikedramon. "Take your pick."

"Yeah, well I think you get dumber when you evolve." Said Guardromon. "I don't think I've seen Cyberdramon string more than three words together. It's all 'enemy' this, and 'unintelligible growl' that. Plus, we don't need another digimon with an uncontrollable urge to fight. We already have Guilmon."

"Please leave me out of this." Said Guilmon.

"You don't even know if you'll be able to maintain Andromon's form." Said Strikedramon. "When was the last time you evolved past adult?"

"It was…" Guardromon paused. "Well, Andromon is a better person than Cyberdramon. Andromon fights to protect the weak. Cyberdramon doesn't care who he fights, as long as they're strong."

"Are you insulting my sense of justice?" Said Strikedramon. "I literally evolved into a guy named Justimon!"

"Sure, with your partner. Who knows what kind of digimon you would have become without him."

"You're just jealous because you never matrix evolved with Hirokazu!"

Renamon couldn't listen to any more of this. They stood up and headed for the maze's exit. It was ridiculous for those two to be fighting over something so petty. Culumon had said that they _might_ be able to evolve someone to perfect level soon. They were arguing over a mere hypothetical. Plus, Strikedramon should obviously be the one to evolve. Guardromon was just being a dramatic bitch, and he knew it.

Once outside, Renamon looked around. They had just come back from an expedition, so there was no reason to leave the wasteland again so soon. They also didn't want to go back to the maze until things quieted down. They sighed, picked a random direction, and started walking.

Renamon couldn't blame those two for bickering. Everyone's patience was wearing thin lately. After Lopmon's expedition to the god's realm, there was nothing to do but wait around for salvation. With so many months gone, and still no sign of the tamers, it was only natural for tensions to fray.

At least pointless arguing provided a distraction from the crushing weight of uncertainty.

"Pya pa po pi?"

Renamon looked over their shoulder. MarineAngemon was following them.

"What do you want?" Renamon said.

"Puu po?"

Renamon had no idea what the tiny digimon was saying, so they just nodded. MarineAngemon floated alongside them. Renamon continued walking.

"Don't talk much, do you?" Renamon said.

"Pe, paa pua pi pa."

"Hm. Thought not. But your tamer understands you, doesn't he?"

"Po pi pa pa. Pu pua pi po pu."

"It must be lonely," said Renamon, "being so unable to express yourself. To have only one person who knows how you feel – and then to be separated from that person… It must be like losing a part of yourself.

"There must have been things you wanted to say to your tamer. So many things – that you never had the courage to put into words – and now you may never have the chance. It's… a heartbreaking feeling, isn't it?"

"Puu, po pe po pya. Po po pi pe pa pe po. Pu paa pe pa pu po pu pii pa pe.

"Po pa pua pa pi, po pu pu po. Pii pu pe pe, pu?"

Renamon awkwardly wavered over whether they should try to respond. MarineAngemon was clearly saying something, but it was completely unintelligible. Renamon was embarrassed. It seemed the only reasonable way to proceed was to end the conversation.

"Excuse me." Said Renamon, and disappeared.

"Phwaaa…" MarineAngemon sighed.

Renamon wandered aimlessly for a while after that. They had spent a lot of time walking around the wasteland over the past few months, and it seemed as if there was no part of this barren landscape that they had not already explored. There was little excitement to be had here anymore; nothing new to discover, and no conflict to be found. Digimon had long since learned to avoid the area marked by the hazard symbols, lest they be chased off by a metal monster ridden by a demon and a fire-breathing beast. Renamon stood atop a tall rock formation, surveying the all-too-familiar emptiness. Existence in this dry, inhospitable world felt so futile; so pointless.

Then Renamon spied something glimmering in the dust. They leapt down to investigate.

There was a disk, half-buried in the ground. It was surrounded by ribbons of data, somewhat like a dust packet, but smaller, and greenish-silver, like a CD that the humans used to store data. Renamon picked it up to examine it.

It must be some sort of packet, although Renamon had never seen one like it before. Maybe one of the others would know more. They started off back towards the maze.

"I don't know what it is." Said Guardromon. He turned it over in his hands. "It must have data on it, but I can't read it."

"I- I think it has my name on it." Said Terriermon.

Guardromon checked both sides of the disk. "Nope."

"That's not what I meant." Said Terriermon. "I don't know, it's hard to explain. I just feel like it's supposed to be for me. Like it's calling to me. Could I see it?"

Guardromon shrugged, and handed over the disk. As soon as Terriermon touched it, it dispersed into a cloud of data particles.

"What happened?" Said Guilmon. "Did you break it?"

"Were you able to read any of the data?" Said Guardromon.

Terriermon didn't hear them.

"Jian?" He said. "Jian!"

"What's going on?" Said Guilmon.

"Is Terriermon broken now?" Said Strikedramon.

"Phu pua pi!"

"Everyone be quiet!" Said Terriermon. "It's a message from Jian. I need to listen."

Everyone stared silently for the next few minutes as the message played, only audible to its intended recipient. More than once, Terriermon's eyes brimmed over with tears.

"Jian…" he finally said, "why'd you have to go and tell me all that stuff? Now I feel even worse about being stuck here."

He wiped his eyes.

"Come on, everyone. There might be more messages out there. They'll disappear soon, though. Jian said they would become dust packets eventually, and mine was already getting kind of static-ey. We have to do our best to find them."

"Did- did he say if he would be coming to find us?" Said Renamon.

Terriermon glanced at Guilmon for a moment before answering.

"Yeah." He said. "He doesn't know when exactly, but he said we won't have to wait much longer. Moumantai."

Guilmon's heart sank. Terriermon had spoken with bright, cheery confidence, but all the same, Guilmon knew his friend was lying.


	10. Day 433

They had only found three more data packets after that. One for Strikedramon, one for Guardromon, and one for MarineAngemon.

Guardromon boasted endlessly about how cool Hirokazu had sounded delivering his message. Strikedramon didn't say anything, and brushed off any questions the other digimon asked. MarineAngemon, of course, said nothing that anyone could understand, but they seemed a little more melancholy for days afterwards.

Renamon was still looking. They abandoned their expeditions to the higher worlds altogether, and spent every day combing the wasteland. Even so, it seemed like they were almost never back in the maze.

"You can't be sleeping more than a few hours a day." Said Guilmon. "You always come back in the middle of the night, and leave again before everyone else wakes up. Some nights, you don't come back at all."

"I'm fine." Said Renamon.

"You're not eating either."

"I'm not hungry."

"I know you want to hear from Ruki," said Guilmon, "but I'm worried about you. How much longer do you think you can keep going like this? Do you really think you're in fighting shape right now? What if you run into a wild digimon?"

"It doesn't concern you." Said Renamon.

"Yes it does! We all need to watch out for each other. We're a team, remember?" Guilmon's voice softened. "We're friends."

Renamon looked away uncomfortably.

"I'm going out." They said, and disappeared.

Renamon was tired. Guilmon wasn't wrong about their recent habits. They trudged back and forth across the dusty ground, their feet heavy and their mind hazy, waiting to feel the purposeful tug at their senses that Terriermon had described. There was something quieting about the mechanical repetitiveness of their work. In their dulled mental state, it was almost enough to distance them from the growing emptiness they had felt since arriving in this world. If they didn't find Ruki's message, then maybe they could spend the rest of their days wandering from one end of the wasteland to the other, drifting like a ghost across the lifeless expanse.

Renamon shook their head. Maybe Guilmon was right. Maybe they should stop this obsessive search, and try to return to their regular duties. Even so, they didn't know how they could just give up at this point. They kept walking.

It was hours before they came across a pile of rubble, half-buried in the wind-swept wasteland dust. It was faint, but Renamon thought they felt something drawing them there. They rushed forward, tossing aside the chunks of rock they could lift, and searching all around those they couldn't.

Nothing.

Renamon slumped down against a boulder. Had they imagined it all in their half-delirious state? Renamon stared down at their hands, coated in blisters and dust. They had a moment of painful self-awareness. Were they out here all alone, chasing after nothing more than an empty illusion? Even if they found what they sought, would it bring them any sort of peace? It wouldn't ever be the same as having her back.

Renamon felt all the pain and exhaustion of the past few weeks welling up inside them. They gritted their teeth, and squeezed their eyes shut, fighting back tears.

No. They couldn't break down now. They had to keep trying.

Renamon let out a shaky breath, searching for clarity and quiet amidst the swell of emotion. They felt the slight pull again. They concentrated.

The feeling was coming from somewhere underground. Renamon sprung into action, flinging aside handfuls of dirt. They broke a claw against a buried stone, but ignored the pain, and continued to dig around it.

There was a glimmer of color.

The data packet at the bottom of the hole was already starting to turn pink and fuzzy at the edges, as if it were already degrading into dust. Renamon reached for it anyway, and a burst of static exploded in their head when they touched it.

They listened, despite the buzzing in their ears.

Ruki's voice. It was faint and distorted in the static, but Renamon could hear it. They couldn't make make out everything she said, but she sounded lost, and sad, and angry, and hopeful.

Renamon couldn't hold back any longer. They buried their face in their hands and wept.

When they got back to the maze, Renamon collapsed against the wall, totally drained.

"You're back early. Did you find it?" Said Guilmon.

Renamon nodded.

"Good." Said Guilmon. "I'm glad."

"I'm sorry." Said Renamon.

"What for?"

"You never found Takato's message. It's probably dust by now." Renamon's eyelids were heavy. They blinked slowly.

"You, out of anyone, deserve to hear your tamer's words." They said. "I'm sorry it couldn't be."

Guilmon smiled sadly.

"It's okay." He said. "Whatever Takato wanted to say, he can tell me when I see him."


	11. Day 481

Guilmon and Terriermon lay out in the desert, staring at the cloudless sky.

"Hey, Guilmon, when can we go home?" Said Terriermon.

"Really soon." Said Guilmon.

"You always say that, and it still hasn't happened yet."

"Then why did you ask?"

"I don't know." Said Terriermon. He sighed. "I really think I'm starting to lose it out here."

"What do you mean?" Said Guilmon.

"I actually miss playing with Shaochung." Said Terriermon. "I mean, I would kill right now to have someone stuff me into a pretty dress and pinch my cheeks. You get nostalgic for the weirdest things sometimes, you know?"

"I miss bread." Said Guilmon. "I mean, we can get bread from some of the digimon here, but it's not at good as the Matsuda's bread. Even the day-old bread Takato would always bring me. It was kind of chewy, but it tasted good."

"Of course you miss bread." Said Terriermon. "That was like, your favorite thing. Is there anything from before you thought you'd never miss, but suddenly do?"

"Hmm." Said Guilmon. "I guess I didn't like being shut up in the Guilmon Home all day. It was small, and dark, and there wasn't much to do. I had to spend a lot of time just thinking. It was really lonely.

"But it was okay, because I always knew Takato would come see me at the end of the day. I miss that part.

"It's strange. I guess by now, I must've spent more days in the maze than the Guilmon Home. It feels like this is just my life now."

"Yeah…" Said Terriermon. They were both quiet.

"You would look cute in a dress though." Said Guilmon.

"Naturally." Said Terriermon. "I always look cute."

Guilmon laughed. "I hope I get to see that soon."

"Yeah," said Terriermon, "maybe."

Guilmon spotted something off in the distance.

"Hey, what's that?" He said.

Terriermon looked up. There was a distant figure, only a dot in the sky, that looked like it was coming towards them.

"I don't know." He said. "A digimon?"

Guilmon noticed a tremor in the ground beneath them. He heard a distant roar, and smelled the faint tang of sulfur carried on the wind.

"Hey," he said, "let's get out of here. Whatever's happening, we should go warn the others."

The earth behind them exploded.

Guilmon and Terriermon were thrown to the ground by the massive shock, as ash and smoke billowed up from a growing fissure.

"Run!" Said Guilmon, scrambling to his feet.

The two rushed towards the maze, as the ground tore open behind them, lava and volcanic gasses bubbling up in the cracks. Culumon was floating outside the entrance of the maze. Guilmon ran up to them.

"Who's still inside?" He said.

"Impmon and Lopmon." Said Culumon. "The walls are collapsing, and they can't get out!"

"Right." Said Terriermon. "Guardromon and MarineAngemon aren't here. They went on an expedition together, and Strikedramon went out alone."

"Where's Renamon?" Said Guilmon.

"I don't know, culu!" Said Culumon.

Just then, an ear-splitting roar rung out from the distance, audible even over the calamitous tectonic activity.

Guilmon looked up. Silhouetted against the cloud of ash quickly obscuring the sky was an enormous dragon, with wings of fire and earth. It was flying towards them, leaving a trail of volcanic destruction in its wake. Guilmon looked back down at the entrance of the maze.

He turned to Terriermon.

"Let's go get them." He said. "We don't have much time."

The two ran down into the maze. The entire subterranean structure was shaking. Stones were coming loose from the wall, and dirt and rock were raining down from the ceiling. Guilmon and Terriermon navigated the twists and turns, the sense of urgency making the familiar route seem scary and uncertain. They rounded a corner, and stopped in their tracks.

The hallway was flooded with lava. The heat from the molten flow hit the two like a solid wave of pressure. Terriermon summoned up his courage.

"I'll go on ahead." He said to Guilmon. "Find another way around."

He took a few steps back, then made a running leap at the passageway, and spread out his ears to glide. It felt like he was being roasted alive as he flew through the superheated air. When he landed on the far side of the passageway, the stone tiles scorched his feet.

He reminded himself that he had endured worse before. This was nothing compared to the heat of Zhuquiaomon's flames. He kept moving.

Guilmon watched his friend disappear around the next turn. He wondered how far he would make it if he tried to cross the hallway himself. How much would his scales protect him? How long would his body keep moving the way it was supposed to? If he managed to bring out his fighting instincts, then he would be able to ignore the pain for longer.

He suddenly felt ashamed. What would Takato think if he knew Guilmon was having these thoughts? Takato wouldn't want him to get hurt, he would try to find another way.

Guilmon had an idea. It was a bad, risky, unpredictable idea, but it was a lot better than running straight into lava. He turned around, and ran back towards the entrance.

"Hello?! Lopmon? Impmon?" Terriermon called out. Most of the passageways that led deeper into the maze were blocked by rubble. He spread his ears out the sides, listening for even a hint of sound not drowned out by the rumbling earth.

"Terriermon!"

Terriermon ran towards the sound of the voice, and started digging at the pile of rubble in his path.

"Hold on!" He said.

Then, the ground he was standing on shifted, and the rubble bagan to slide out of the way. It was falling into a newly-opened hole in the floor, one which revealed a secret chamber that Terriermon had been unaware of. Terriermon staggered and stumbled, but managed to leap back onto solid ground before the tide of moving rock dragged him under. He peered down into the hole.

Lopmon was at the bottom. There was no obvious exit from the chamber, and the ceiling was too high to climb up or jump out.

"Hold on, I'm coming to help you!" Said Terriermon. He hopped down into the chamber.

"Terriermon." Said Lopmon. "How does your presence here help our situation at all?"

"Hmm." Said Terriermon. "That's an excellent question. I wish I had thought to ask it myself a few seconds ago. Anyway, let's look for a way out of here."

"There is a door on this far wall." Said Lopmon. But it requires a certain number of switches to be activated in a certain pattern. There are clues written on the walls, but they are in an ancient language. It will take me some time to decipher it."

A crack formed on one of the walls. Lava slowly dripped through it, forming a growing pool in the corner of the room.

"Yeah, fuck all that." Said Terriermon. "Let's hurry up and bust it down!"

He looked around the room.

"I think I can toss some of these stones with my petit twister. Help me line them up so they have the best chance of hitting it."

The two digimon grabbed the biggest stones they could lift, and piled them up a short distance from the door.

"Okay, here I go." Said Terriermon. He began to spin rapidly, until a small whirlwind formed around him. He rushed at the pile of stones, which were hurled about and scattered. Most flew off in random directions, causing Lopmon to flinch and duck out of the way, but two hefty rocks struck the door, causing a crack on its face.

"All right!" Said Terriermon. "Now let's hit that weak point together."

"Right." Said Lopmon. "At the same time. Ready?"

" _Blazing Fire!_ "

" _Blazing Ice!_ "

The two attacks struck the same spot, and the shock of their combined force caused the fracture to widen, splitting the door into three pieces. It crumbled apart.

But the space behind the door was flooded with lava. Terriermon and Lopmon leapt back as it poured into the room, rapidly spreading out and covering the floor. The two digimon climbed up onto the pile of rubble, but the lava slowly continued to rise. As their tiny island of safety grew smaller and smaller, Terriermon frantically looked around for a means of escape amidst the overwhelming heat.

"Aah, what now?" He said, panic creeping into his voice.

"Well," said Lopmon, "guess we're gonna fuckin' die."

Terriermon froze, taken aback for a moment. Then he laughed.

"Hey!" He said. "I was wondering when you would learn to swear. I guess Shaochung wasn't going to teach you that one."

Lopmon gave a small smile. "No, I expect not."

The two settled into silence as the lava crept higher and higher.

Then Renamon blurred into view in front of them.

"Oh, thank the gods." Said Lopmon.

"Moumantai." Said Terriermon weakly.

"Let's go." Said Renamon. They picked the smaller digimon up, one under each arm, and leapt out of the chamber.

"I saw smoke." They said, as they sprinted through the winding maze. "I assumed someone would need saving."

They came to the lava-flooded hallway near the entrance, and ran straight at it, angling for the wall just before they jumped. They ran across the vertical surface for a few steps, then lightly bounced to the one opposite. They crossed the entire corridor this way, never coming close to the deadly ground.

Impmon was totally lost. He had taken a wrong turn somewhere, and now found himself among an unfamiliar series of intersections and twisting corridors. It didn't help that so many pathways were blocked by rubble, lava, or fissures in the earth. His head was spinning with the rising heat, and his own growing panic. He knew his chances of finding the exit at this rate were practically nothing, but he kept running anyway.

He rounded a corner, only to find the next intersection glowing with an approaching wave of lava. He turned around, and sprinted in the opposite direction. There was a forked path a few hundred feet back. He could try the other route. Shit, why hadn't he ever taken the time to learn the layout of this place better? How long had he lived here, anyway?

He took another random turn, and found himself in a large, open room. There was one doorway on the far side. He ran towards it, ignoring the small prickle at the back of his mind which told him that something was wrong.

Oh, right. This was the room with the collapsing floor.

Impmon stopped on his heels just as the first stone tile began to drop out from underneath him. He backpedaled in a mad scramble, barely managing to tumble backwards onto safe ground before the entire floor fell away, showering the spike pit below with broken fragments.

Lopmon had been especially proud of the way they designed that trap. If Impmon survived, he'd have to wallop them later.

Impmon turned around once again to go back the way he came, but the lava had caught up with him, its orange glow casting ominously on the maze walls.

With a spike pit behind him, and molten rock in front, Impmon was trapped. His mind raced, trying to recall any detail of his collapsing home that would get him out of this situation. In his confused, overheated state, he was unable to conjure anything but blank panic.

"Impmon!"

The voice echoed down from somewhere in the maze. The sound of a revving engine followed it.

"Help me!" Impmon called out.

And then there was another light, glaring and red, projecting out in a sweeping beam. Impmon recognized it as Behemoth's headlight.

Guilmon tore into view, drifting Behemoth around a tight corner, lava spraying up from its tires.

"Guilmon!" Said Impmon.

"Grab on!" Guilmon reached out his hand as he rode towards Impmon. He executed a tight u-turn, grabbing Impmon's wrist at its apex, and speeding back the way he came.

Impmon used the momentum to swing himself up onto Behemoth's seat, right behind its current rider.

"How are you not possessed?" Shouted Impmon over the roaring engine.

"I don't know!" Said Guilmon. "I just told Behemoth that we needed to save you! I guess it accepted me as its rider."

"You really have a talent for chatting it up with sentient vehicles, don't you?" Said Impmon. "You could have done it a little sooner though. I almost died!"

Guilmon drove straight through another lava-flooded hallway.

"This is going better than I thought it would." Said Guilmon. "What are these tires made of? I thought for sure I'd be riding the rims by now."

"I don't know." Said Impmon. "For some reason, Behemoth is just totally fine in lava."

The two riders burst out of the maze shortly after Renamon, Terriermon, and Lopmon. Behemoth skidded to a stop a good distance away from the entrance, just as a huge shadow passed over the maze.

Guilmon looked up. The dragon was right overhead.

The rumbling in the ground reached a crescendo, and the cracks splitting the earth widened. Sections of the mazes ceiling collapsed, revealing portions of the subterranean corridors, which were quickly consumed in the rising lava. Spouts of flame and smoke burst from the ground all around. Bubbling molten fire seeped up from the wounded earth.

And then the dragon passed. The rumbling, though still deafening, began to subside. The lava began to cool and harden.

Lopmon looked up at the dragon, its tail lashing lazily back and forth, as it shrunk into the distance.

"Incredible." They said. "I have never seen a digimon with power like that, save for the gods themselves."

"Was it attacking us," said Renamon, "or just passing through?"

"What the hell?" Said Impmon. "How can we compete with monsters like that? Where did it even come from?"

"It was really scary, culu." Said Culumon, their expression downcast."

Lopmon shook their head.

"The digital world is changing." They said. "There will certainly be new threats which we have not yet imagined. Without the gods to keep things in balance, we are living in a volatile time."

"Forget the gods." Said Impmon. "What about our home?"

The maze was nothing more than a simmering crater, still throwing off rippling waves of heat.

"Moumantai." Said Terriermon. "We're all still here."

"All of our stuff was in there." Said Impmon. "Our food stores, too. Now we're basically back where we were on day one. Alone, exposed, and empty-handed. And apparently this world wants to kill us even worse than before."

"He's right." Said Lopmon. "How are we going to recover from this? What are we going to do?"

Guilmon felt everyone's gaze fall on him.

"I- I don't know." He said. "I thought Takato would be back for us by now." He squeezed his eyes shut. "I don't know why this is happening to us. I just want it to stop. It's- It's all too much. I hate this."

His shoulders started to shake, and tears formed at the corners of his eyes.

"C'mon, that's not fair." Said Terriermon. "You're the one who's always saying that we're going to be fine. Our tamers are coming soon, right? You can't give up now."

Guilmon sniffled, unable to form a response.

"Alright, listen." Said Impmon. "Renamon, do you know of anywhere we can hole up for a while?"

Renamon nodded.

"It has to be hard to find." Said Lopmon. "And it needs to be easily defensible, lest we are beset by intruders."

"I know a place." Said Renamon.

"Right, Renamon, you make sure everyone gets there safely." Said Impmon. "Terriermon looks like he's been burned up pretty bad, so I'm going to go out and find MarineAngemon. Guilmon, you're coming with me."

"Moumantai. I'll be fine." Said Terriermon.

"Nonsense. You're injured." Said Lopmon. "And I, too, have not escaped the heat unscathed, though my burns are less apparent."

Impmon took Guilmon by the hand, and led him to Behemoth. Guilmon compliantly climbed onto the seat.

"You know which world they went to, right?" Said Impmon.

Guilmon nodded.

"Then let's get moving." Said Impmon. He revved the engine. "No time to waste."

As the two sped out across the wasteland, Impmon turned back to look at Guilmon.

"Hey," he said, "are you doing alright?"

"No." Said Guilmon. "Everyone is counting on me to be a leader or something, but I don't know if I can do it anymore. I don't know how much longer we can make it out here."

"So what?" Said Impmon. "Are you going to give up and just lie down in the dirt?" He turned away.

"Listen, I've been there too." He said. "Lots of times, in fact. And when I wasn't able to keep crawling along myself, one of you jerks was there to help me get back up. We're not going to die, Guilmon, because we're never going to give up on each other. We've survived everything that's been thrown at us so far. I know this won't be any different.

"And hey, I know this is a pretty shit situation we're stuck in, but I'm glad I'm stuck in it with you."

Guilmon wiped his eyes.

"Thanks, Impmon." He said. "You know, I think you're really strong after all."

"Heh. Obviously." Said Impmon.

The two rode on in silence. After a while, Guilmon spoke.

"I want to go on expeditions with you again." He said. "I'll do better from now on. I've put us both in danger before, but I won't lose control again.

"I want to see Takato again. I want to live. So I'll keep both of us safe from now on. Please, give me a second chance."

"Second chance, huh?" Said Impmon. "Alright, but this makes us even."


	12. Day 576

Yamaki leaned over the control panel, eying the various sensors and monitors. He pressed the intercom button, and addressed the passengers of the ship, which was sitting on the observation deck of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building.

"Transphotic accelerators are green." Said Yamaki. "Flight systems are stable. Valkyrie is cleared for departure in t-minus three minutes."

Valkyrie was the name of the new arc designed by the Wild Bunch and members of Hypnos. Its design was significantly more advanced than Grani's. It was larger and more maneuverable, and took advantage of the inherent AI in the digimon's base code in order to fly and navigate. No longer would they need to spend weeks calculating the path of the arc, they simply had to rely on the ship to fly itself between the two worlds. That was what Grani had ended up doing on their first attempt, after all. Valkyrie was also equipped with an auto-cannon that fired a lighter version of the Yuggoth blaster, so it was capable of dealing with any threats that the digital world had to offer.

The only thing standing between the Valkyrie and the digital world was the icewall. Yamaki himself had put it in place to keep the boundary between worlds stable. It had kept new digimon from realizing, but it also prevented new portals from forming. Even from programs like Shaggai couldn't create them. It made travel between worlds impossible. Takato had punched a hole in the barrier once, using only his D-Arc, but Yamaki had stopped him before he was able to enter the portal in the gated shelter where he used to hide his digimon.

The icewall had been reinforced with multiple redundancies and failsafes after that. It was no longer the type of program that one could simply turn on and off. That was why Yamaki had created a virus to destroy it. Once the wall came down, it wasn't going back up again.

It had taken him a long time to come to this decision, but Yamaki knew that he couldn't keep the real world and the digital world separate forever. If there were new threats like the D-Reaper waiting just beyond this reality, then it would be foolish to ignore them. Better to confront these new challenges then let them fester and grow until they overwhelmed his pathetic defenses. If past experience had taught him anything, it was that he couldn't protect this world on his own. He would need those kids and their digimon, and lots more like them.

It was time to stop hiding behind this cowardly icewall, and face the new age of tamers and digimon.

Yamaki slipped the CD with the icebreaker virus out of its case, and inserted it into a drive connected to Hypnos' main server. Warnings and error messages started to pop up all over the bank of monitors in front of him.

The intercom speaker hissed to life. Jian's voice came through.

"Are sure about this, Mr. Yamaki? I know my father was opposed to this plan. And from what I've heard, so are your superiors."

"A kid like you doesn't have to worry about me." Said Yamaki. "I can handle the consequences of my actions."

"Still though." Said Jian. "You've gone a long way to help us. Are you sure it's all right?"

"It's nothing." Said Yamaki. "While you kids were fighting to save the world, we adults were hiding behind computer screens. You've risked and sacrificed more than we ever could have asked you to. This is the least I could do and still keep my pride as an adult."

Ruki's voice sounded through the speaker. "Geez, it almost sounds selfish when you say it like that."

"Come on, Ruki, don't be like that." Takato's voice now. "Mr. Yamaki is helping us, remember?"

"We would have been able to do this a lot sooner if he had just stayed out of it in the first place." She retorted.

"He can still hear you, you know." Said Jian.

Whatever the children would have said next was cut off as Valkyrie lifted off from the rooftop, rising straight up on glowing thrusters.

When the ship touched down again, it was on the soil of a different world.

Takato, Jian, Ruki, Hirokazu, Kenta, Ryo, and Juri stepped out of the hatch that opened on the craft's side.

"Do you think they're around here somewhere?" Said Takato.

"Well, we're near the center of the big hazard symbol we saw from above." Said Jian. If you're right about it being a message from Guilmon, I'd say this is a good place to start looking."

"Hey, check it out!" Said Hirokazu. "There's a big hole in the ground over there."

The hole was surrounded on all sides by large slabs of stone, and instead of going straight down, it led to a gently sloping tunnel, like the burrow of some massive animal. The stones around the entrance were all marked with the hazard symbol.

"Are you sure about this?" Said Kenta. "It could be something really dangerous in there."

Takato climbed up on one of the stones and peered into the tunnel.

"No way. Look at those claw marks on the stone." He pointed to the wall. "I bet Growmon dug this."

"If you're wrong, we're going to be in a lot of trouble." Said Ruki.

"Don't worry." Said Juri. "I trust Takato."

Takato clicked on a flashlight.

"Come on, everyone." He said. "Let's go find our partners."

Jian turned to the ship.

"Valkyrie," he said, "guard the entrance. You know what our partners all look like, but don't let any dangerous digimon come near here."

He got nothing in the way of affirmative response, but if this new ship was anything was like Grani, then he knew it heard and understood him.

As the group made their way into the depths of the burrow, Jian shined his flashlight across the walls.

"There are veins of volcanic rock and glass all around us." He said. "And these stone blocks look like they were once part of some underground structure. I wonder what happened here."

Eventually, they came to a larger chamber with different pathways branching off in all directions.

"Which way now?" Said Kenta.

"I'm gonna call out for Guilmon." Said Takato. "Our digimon have always been able to find us when we needed them. If he's close, I know he'll hear me."

He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted.

"Guilmoooon! Hey, Guilmon!"

Somewhere in the dark, Guilmon opened his eyes.

"Takato's right." Said Jian. He followed his friend's example.

"Terriermon! Are you there?"

Everyone else did the same, calling out the names of their digimon. A sharp ping sounded out over their voices. Takato checked his digivice.

"Look!" He shouted. "It's the locator. Guilmon is close! Come on, everyone. This way!"

He ran off in the direction his digivice pointed, with the rest of the tamers on his heels. His bouncing flashlight beam caught two points of yellow light. Takato ran ahead in the dark, until something collided with him, knocking him backwards into the other children.

"Takato!"

Takato was on the ground, pinned under whatever had run into him. His flashlight had been knocked out of his hands, but he recognized the voice.

"Guilmon!"

He reached up and hugged his friend around the neck.

"Takato!"

Large, wet tears fell from Guilmon's face onto Takato's shirt.

"Takato," he said, "I knew you'd come back. I knew it."

"Sorry it took so long." Said Takato.

Everyone crowded around Guilmon. Hirokazu gave him a slap on the back.

"Hey buddy. Good to see you again."

"It's been a while." Said Jian.

Juri gave Guilmon a hug.

"Guilmon! I missed you!"

Even Ruki smiled.

"Glad to see you're okay."

Guilmon sniffed. "Guys, everyone's okay. They're waiting to see you again." He choked out the last few words through a rising bubble of joy and relief. "They're going to be happy you're here."

Guardromon was the next digimon to come into view, his large frame and heavy footsteps unmistakable, even in the dark. He was followed by MarineAngemon, Terriermon, Culumon, and Impmon.

Hirokazu ran up to meet his partner.

"Guardromon!" He said. "Man, it's been forever."

"It's been forever." Guardromon echoed back.

"Hey, don't copy me."

"I wasn't copying." Said Guardromon. "I was already thinking it, and you just said it first."

MarineAngemon flew straight into Kenta's chest.

"MarineAngemon, you didn't forget about me, did you?" He said.

"Pyu po, pi pu pa po,"

"Yeah," said Kenta, "I know you wouldn't. Never doubted it."

"Jian!" Terriermon jumped into his partner's arms. "What the heck took you so long?"

"Sorry, sorry." Said Jian. "I would have come sooner if I could. I never stopped thinking about you."

"Moumantai, Jian."

Terriermon hoisted himself up on top of Jian's head.

"Gosh, I missed the view from up here." He said. "Hey, did you get taller?"

"Cululu!"

Culumon flew several excited circles around Juri's head before finally settling in her arms.

"Hi Culumon!" Said Juri. "Have you been doing well?"

"Pretty good, culu!"

Impmon hung awkwardly to the periphery of the happy reunion. Juri noticed him, and smiled.

"It's good to see you again, Impmon." She said.

"Really?" Said Impmon.

"Yep. You've been playing nice with everyone, right?"

"I guess so." Said Impmon. Then, with a little more confidence, "Yeah, I have."

"Where is everyone else?" Said Jian.

"Yeah, where's Cyberdramon?" Said Ryo.

"Cyberdramon and Antylamon went on some errands in one of the higher worlds." Said Terriermon. "They'll get back sometime today."

"What about Renamon?" Said Ruki.

"Um, well, Renamon sort of comes and goes as they please." Said Terriermon. "They might not be back for a few days."

Ruki turned around, back towards the burrow's entrance.

"I'm not waiting around that long." She said. "I'm going after them."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Said Guilmon. "I think I know where they might have gone."

"No, stay here with the others." Said Ruki. "Just tell me where to find them."

Renamon sat in the branches of a cherry tree in full bloom. Ostensibly, they were here to forage for food, but it would be a few hours before anything in this orchard bore fruit. In this realm, seasons passed quickly, so much so that it might go through two or three yearly cycles a day. The entire world was like an endlessly-renewing garden, with vegetables, fruit and grain-bearing plants, and even vines that grew unidentifiable cuts of meat, still on the bone.

Renamon liked it here. Not many digimon knew about this place yet, so the chances of having to evade a foe were low. It was also nice to be somewhere where it felt like time was passing. The wasteland was barren and stagnant, with no identifiable natural cycles other than the abrupt, sweeping onset of night and day.

It was no mistake that Renamon liked to come to this spot at this particular time. There was something calming about watching the cherry blossoms drift gently through the air. It reminded Renamon of being together with their partner as Sakuyamon. Whenever they were in that form, there was always some evil to overcome; some danger that threatened their lives and everything they loved, but still, those were happy memories.

Renamon's ears twitched as they picked up an unfamiliar sound; the roar of an engine and the rushing of air. They looked up.

There was a ship approaching. Some elements of its design were reminiscent of Grani, although its shape was different, and it was much larger than the arc that they remembered. Renamon's eyes went wide. Could it be? They jumped down from the tree branch, and rushed to the center of the dirt path that ran down the middle of the orchard.

The ship slowed its approach, and landed just a few yards in front of Renamon. The side hatch opened and Ruki stepped out.

The two stared at each other for a few seconds across the short distance between them.

"Renamon, you jerk!" The words burst out of Ruki's mouth.

"How could you leave me alone like that?"

Ruki looked away. "Do you have any idea how much it hurt, convincing me you were my friend, and then just disappearing like that? I thought we were supposed to stay together. I thought that's what being partners meant. What kind of no-good digimon can't even understand that?"

Renamon opened their mouth to reply, but Ruki cut them off.

"Do you know how lonely I've been? How many nights I couldn't sleep, wondering if I'd ever see you again? How could you do that to me? I thought you cared about me, but you're even worse than my dad."

Ruki's eyes filled with tears. She couldn't bring herself to look back at her partner.

"I hate you." She said. "How am I ever supposed to forgive you?"

It was a long moment before Renamon spoke, but when they did, their voice was full of delicate warmth.

"Ruki." They said. "I'm here."

That was all they said, and it was everything they needed to say.

Ruki ran at her partner, and threw herself into their arms. She buried her face in Renamon's mane of white fur and cried.

"I missed you." She sobbed. "I missed you so much."

Renamon said nothing. They just held their partner's heaving shoulders, and pulled her in even closer.


	13. Epilogue

Jian, Terriermon, and Lopmon rode home in the back seat of one of Yamaki's black vans.

"So, I might be in some trouble when we get back." Said Jian. "You two should be fine, I think. I didn't tell Dad about going to the digital world, so he won't be expecting you."

"Why not tell him?" Said Terriermon.

"He was really afraid that I would try to go back." Said Jian. "I think it's because of the time when Shaochung disappeared right in front of him. It makes sense that he would be worried about any of us getting lost in the digital world after that.

"So I left without saying because I didn't want him to worry… and because I didn't want him to try to stop me."

"He helped build Valkyrie though, didn't he?" Said Terriermon.

"He did. Although I don't think he ever really intended for me to use it." Said Jian. "I don't know for sure. He won't talk to me about it."

"Will it really be alright for us to return to your family at this time?" Said Lopmon. "I would not want our presence to cause any strife."

"It's fine." Said Jian. "I did all of this in the first place so that you two could finally come home. Just let me worry about my father."

"Moumantai." Said Terriermon. "I just can't wait to get back. You're going to love our place, Lopmon. It's got everything – rooms, furniture, windows, a kitchen with food, indoor plumbing. Just try not to set up any booby traps. That might not go over so well."

Lopmon glared. "That was never my intention. What manner of dangerous fool do you take me for?"

"Moumantai." Terriermon laughed. "Hey, you seem worried. What's got you down?"

Lopmon stared out the black-tinted window.

"Will Shaochung be happy to see me? Our time together was so brief, and our time apart so lengthy." They looked down at their feet. "Now that our reunion is imminent, I am forced to confront the fact that she may not care for my company as she once did. I'm sure we have both changed in our time apart. I fear our friendship will not be what it once was."

"Don't worry." Said Terriermon. "You're partners. I'm sure everything will be alright. Right, Jian?"

Jian nodded. "Yeah. I know it will."

The van pulled up to their building, and the three walked up to the front door of the Lee family residence.

"I'm home." Jian called out, as he walked inside.

"Welcome ba-" Jiang-yu, Jian's father, stopped mid-sentence. His gaze rested on the two small figures besides Jian, and a stern expression crossed his face.

"Ut-oh. He looks mad." Said Terriermon. "Should we do something?"

"It's fine." Said Jian. "I'll talk to him. Why don't you show Lopmon around?"

"Come on, Lopmon." Said Terriermon, taking his friend by the hand. "I'll give you the tour. Let's start by seeing what's in the kitchen!"

Lopmon nodded to Jiang-yu as Terriermon dragged them away.

"I apologize for showing up unexpectedly." They said. "Thank you for allowing me into your home."

The two digimon hurried off into the next room. Jian and his father stared at each other for a tense moment.

"You put yourself in danger again." Said Jiang-yu. "I could accept it when the fate of the world was at stake, but risking your life for this?"

"I had to." Said Jian. "Terriermon is my friend. I couldn't just leave him behind."

"Some things, you simply have to accept." Said Jiang-yu. "It's part of growing up."

"I can't grow up if you don't let me make my own choices!" Said Jian, his voice raising. "After everything I've done, how can you treat me like a little child?"

"You _are_ still a child." Said Jiang-yu. "You're _my_ child. That's why I can't let you needlessly put yourself in danger. If you got hurt, it wouldn't affect just you; it would hurt the whole family. What you did was selfish."

Just then, an excited shriek rang out from down the hall. Shaochung ran into the room, with Lopmon tucked under one arm, dragging Terriermon along by the ear with the other.

"Daddy, Daddy! Lopmon and Terriermon are home!"

Lopmon struggled in their tamer's grasp, trying to make a little breathing room in the crook of her arm.

"I respect your enthusiasm, but you must loosen your grip." They gasped.

"Moumantai." Terriermon said with a content shrug. "You get used to it."

Shaochung looked wide-eyed at Jian.

"Jian, did you go find them?"

Jian nodded, and Shaochung dropped the two digimon, and ran over to hug him.

"Thank you so much!" She said. "You're the best big brother ever!"

A moment later, she had picked up Terriermon and Lopmon again, and had run out of the room.

"Come on, you two!" She said. "Let's have a welcome-home party."

Jiang-yu sighed, and looked back at Jian.

"Well, your sister is very happy." He said, rubbing his forehead. "I'm grateful for that. Even so, you're still in trouble. Go to your room, and I'll decide on your punishment later."

* * *

Ruki and Renamon walked side-by-side back to their house. The low, evening sun cast long shadows as it crept closer towards the horizon. Renamon quietly marveled at the old, familiar streets and buildings, which had changed so little since they had last seen them. The sense it gave them was almost overpowering. They once wondered if they would ever set foot in this world, and now, they were walking home with their partner, as they had so many times before. The utter mundanity of it was, in this moment, the most precious thing in the world.

As they came to the front gate of the Makino's home, Ruki stopped, and turned to her partner.

"Listen." She said. "I didn't mean all of that stuff I said earlier. Well- I guess part of me meant it, but I know I shouldn't be thinking like that. It wasn't your fault we got separated, and I blamed you anyway."

Renamon nodded, but said nothing.

"So, here we are." Said Ruki. "I'll go tell Mom and Grandma that you're home, and find out when we're having dinner. You- You're going to eat with us, right? I know you don't like sitting with everyone, but it will just be the four of us this time."

"Don't worry." Said Renamon. "I'll be there."

"Good." Ruki smiled. "You should go take a bath first though. You can use my shampoo and conditioner if you want. You have a lot of fur, so it's okay to finish off whatever's left."

She walked towards the house, but Renamon didn't move. Ruki turned back towards them.

"Is there something wrong?" She asked.

"I hate baths." Said Renamon.

"Really? You're not a cat, you know." Ruki shot back. "Anyway, I didn't want to say it earlier, but you kinda stink."

After they had washed all of the accumulated wasteland dust out of their fur, Renamon had to admit that they felt better. It was easy to ignore the gradual buildup, but now that they were clean, they were starting to feel a little more like themself.

Dinner was a surprisingly reserved event. Rumiko and Seiko offered Renamon a warm 'welcome home', but made little fanfare of it. Rumiko talked briefly about her day at work, but aside from that, Renamon was able to enjoy the meal in relative silence. No one asked about their time spent in the digital world, for which Renamon was greatful. Those stories were tinged with danger, violence, and sadness, and would not make for light conversation.

Later, when all the dishes were cleared, when Ruki and Renamon had a moment to themselves, the two sat looking out at the small pond by the house.

"I hope that was alright." Said Ruki. "When I told them that I was going back to bring you home, Mom wanted to throw you a big party, but I told her you wouldn't like that. I told her we should just have a normal dinner. Grandma agreed. She said you seemed shy, and that you'd probably prefer something a little quieter."

"That is true." Said Renamon.

"I'm glad you liked it, then." Said Ruki. She stared down at her folded hands.

"Hey Renamon," She said, "while you were gone, I realized that I never even knew where you slept. Even though you're my friend, I never really treated you like a real member of the household. I guess there were a lot of ways I could have been more considerate towards you.

"Now that you're back, I want it to feel like you really have a place here; like you're really home. So I'll set up an extra futon just for you tonight. There are a lot of empty rooms in this house, so you can have whichever one you want, but… I'd like it if we didn't have to be too far apart. Even if it's just for a little while."

Renamon looked up at the clear night sky.

"Yes," they said, "that sounds nice."

They sat in silence for a while, enjoying the cool night air, and the soft chirping of insects all around.

"What's on your mind?" Ruki finally said.

"Nothing." Said Renamon. "I was just admiring the moon. I much prefer this sky to the other one."

Ruki scoffed.

"Geez." She said. "When did you suddenly become so romantic?"

Renamon glanced at their partner out of the corner of their eye.

"Who knows." They said.

* * *

Takato, Guilmon, and Takato's parents walked home from the Hypnos building.

"You didn't have to walk us home." Said Takato sheepishly. "It's not that far, really."

"We wanted to greet you and Guilmon as soon as you got back." Said Takehiro. "You're no so old that you can't go on a walk with us."

"I could have driven you home, if you hadn't made me leave Impmon's bike with Yamaki." Said Guilmon. "I can ride it now without getting possessed."

"Yeah, that still might not be so safe." Said Takato. "Do you know how to follow all the traffic signals?"

"Um, maybe. What're those?"

The group crossed the street, headed back towards the Matsuda bakery.

"Huh?" Said Guilmon. "Aren't you taking me back to Shinjuku Park?"

"Um, well," Takato said, scratching his head, "the Guilmon Home kinda got encased in concrete. Sorry, it's a long story."

He smiled.

"But hey, that means you get to come home and live with us! Pretty great, right?"

"That is, only if you behave yourself." Said Yoshie. "We're still running a business, after all. The last thing we need is a big digimon causing trouble."

"Yeah, no eating all the bread in the store." Said Takehiro. "I've seen how much you can put away. We'll be out on the streets in no time if you don't show a little restraint."

Guilmon laughed. "I'll control myself, I promise." He said.

He turned to Takato.

"We can still go to the park like we used to though, right? And can we invite Impmon? I want to visit him a lot."

"Wow, you two must be getting along better." Said Takato. "I never thought you'd be such good friends."

"Actually, we're boyfriends." Said Guilmon. He nodded. "Yep, we're super gay for each other."

"That's uuuuuuuh… unexpected." Said Takato. He quickly changed the subject. "I'll bet you have plenty of stories from the digital world. A lot of stuff must have happened, huh?"

Guilmon's smile faded, and his reply came quietly.

"Yeah." He said. "A lot of stuff. I want to tell you about all of it, but… not all of them are good stories."

"That's okay." Said Takato. "You don't have to talk about right now it if you don't want to."

"Right." Said Guilmon. "Maybe someday, though."

When they were close to the bakery, Takehiro spoke up.

"Since you're finally coming home, Guilmon," he said, "we're making a special dinner tonight, just for you. You can have anything you want, just name it."

"Anything I want?"

Guilmon put a claw to his chin, pondering. This was going to take some serious thought. He would have to have some Guilmon bread, of course, but what to go with it?

He was still puzzling over this conundrum when he walked into the bakery. He was snapped out of his pensive state, however, when the overwhelming scent of the place hit him.

It wasn't just the smell of sugar, flour, and yeast that caused him to stop in his tracks and sniff. Somehow, it smelled like home.

Guilmon was overcome with a sense of nostalgic longing.

"So," said Takehiro, "have you made up your mind yet?"

Guilmon nodded.

"Actually," he said, "the thing I want to eat more than anything right now…"

He smiled.

"Is some day-old bread."

 **End**


End file.
